US Wins UBS Warburg Cup

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Player avenged his singles defeat to his fellow playing captain a year ago, but it wasnt enough as the United States retained possession of the UBS Warburg Cup.

The Americans, who entered the day with a one-point lead, won eight of the 12 singles points to defeat the Rest of the World, 14 - 9 .

The guys played wonderful, said Palmer, who is now 5-0 as a captain of two Warburg Cups, two Ryder Cups and one Presidents Cup. The conditions were a little rough today ... the kind of golf they played is fantastic.

On the heels of a Saturday saturated in rain, blustery elements and temperatures in the mid-40s greeted the 24 competitors Sunday in St. Simons, Ga.

The wind howled off the seaside. Two-footers were blown off-course. Short approach shots were finishing 20 yards from the green ' let alone 20 feet the hole. Raymond Floyd was so layered in protective attire he looked like the Invisible Man walking down the fairway.

It was just a brutal day. Were fair-weather golfers now, we cant handle this, Nick Faldo mocked.

'It's definitely the windiest place I've ever been,' added Player.

Palmer and Player were in the first match out. Last year, Palmer defeated the diminutive South African, 2-and-1, to rally his team to a come-from-behind victory. This go-around, however, Player played big, waxing his contemporary, 6-and-5.

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Arnold and I were saying this is the weather they had when he won the (British) Open at Birkdale (in 1961). And when I won a couple of my Opens it was exactly the same, Player recalled.

Its a hard wind, its heavy, and its a great challenge.

Upon the conclusion of their match, the two captains went to cheer on their respective teams, in some place warm, noted Palmer.

This years Ryder Cup captains squared off against one another in the second match, with Curtis Strange getting a slight measure of revenge on Sam Torrance. Strange, whose U.S. team lost to Torrances European squad in September, won 4-and-3.

Paul Azinger kept the Americans alive in the Ryder Cup by holing out from the bunker on 18 that Sunday. This time, he did the same thing to defeat Bernhard Langer, 4-and-3. Azinger made an eagle-3 from the sand at the par-5 15th to knock off the recent Hall of Fame inductee and give the U.S. an overall lead of 8 - 6 .

That lead increased when Tom Lehman won his third match of the tournament, defeating Eduardo Romero, 2-and-1.

Almost the entire day I had no feel in my wrists, hands and forearms, Lehman remarked.

Mark OMeara handed Faldo his first defeat in two years in this event, bettering his fellow British Open champion, 3-and-2.

Ian Woosnam gave the RoW their second point of the day. The Welshman beat Tom Kite, 3-and-2. Englishman Barry Lane also defeated Scott Hoch, 1-up.

But the RoW could get no closer.

Like Azinger, Hale Irwin holed his bunker shot for eagle at 15. That gave him a 2-up lead over Rodger Davis, whom he closed out two holes later, 2-and-1.

Needing a half point to officially retain the Cup, the U.S. got it when Fred Funk halved his match with Isao Aoki.

It wasnt a joyous occasion for Funk, however. The 46-year-old led 3-up with three to play. But the 60-year-old Aoki won 16 and 17, and then made a 40-footer for birdie at the last to stave off defeat.

Raymond Floyd gave the Americans the outright victory when he topped Seiji Ebihara, 2-and-1.

Bob Gilder beat Stewart Ginn, 1-up. Tom Watson won the last hole to salvage a half with Denis Durnian after blowing a 4-up lead through five holes.